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Ballpark Tour: Rogers Centre

rogerscentre

Stadium Name: Skydome/Rogers Centre

Location: Toronto

Home Team: Blue Jays

Years in Service: 1989 – Present

Visits: 1

Following the Grey Cup game in 1982 at Exhibition Stadium, dubbed the Rain Bowl due to a torrential rainstorm, tens of thousands of people attended a rally at Toronto’s city hall chanting “We want a dome”.  After years of studies, they got their wish on June 3, 1989 when Skydome opened as the new home of the Blue Jays, featuring the first functional retractable roof in North America.

While the stadium quickly became an albatross for the province of Ontario, due to cost overruns and a recession, the Blue Jays became a force to be reckoned with.  The Jays won the AL East crown in 1989 and 1991, losing to the eventual World Series champions both years.  In 1992, they again won their division and became the first Canadian team to capture a World Series title.  They repeated as champions in 1993, becoming the first team to win back-to-back Series since the Yankees in 1977 and 1978.

Since then, things have been relatively quiet for the Blue Jays.  In 2005, the stadium was renamed Rogers Centre, after the new owners of both the stadium and the team.  After years of failed expectations, the Blue Jays finally find themselves back in contention this year, leading the AL East and looking for their first post-season appearance in 22 years, the longest current drought in the major leagues.

I attended my first game at the Rogers Centre last month when I was visiting Toronto.  In addition to adding a new stadium to my resume (the 19th overall and 13th still active), former White Sox ace Mark Buehrle was scheduled to start, so I was really looking forward to the game.  Sadly, Buehrle was bumped a few days due to a sore shoulder, so I ended up having to see David Price take on the Orioles.  He handled them with ease, picking up his 100th career victory.  I didn’t have the best seats in the house, sitting out in left field, but was in the shade, which was in short supply during a hot afternoon with the roof open.  I certainly hope to return one day.

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Fitbit Week 34

Week34_FBA good bounce back week, with every day surpassing the 5500 step goal and 2 days up above 10,000 steps.  Things got off to a good start on Sunday, thanks to an afternoon walk around the neighborhood.  The work week was pretty good, despite missing the daily afternoon trip for coffee.  Things picked up on Thursday, thanks to the Sprint and Stride, where I somehow managed to finish the day with 13,000 steps on the nose.  Friday looked to be a dud of a day, until a post work walk boosted me up above 10,000 steps.  Saturday just squeaked past my daily goal, thanks to trips to the grocery store and Target.

Total steps: 58,666

Daily average: 8380.9

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Fitbit Week 33

Week33_FBThe week after vacation is always disappointing, and this was no different, as I put up my lowest total the middle of June.  Things got off to a decent start on Sunday with a trip to US Cellular Field, followed by a trip out for dinner.  The work week was decent, if unspectacular.  No day particularly stands out.  Saturday was the bummer of the week, as I failed to crack 5000 steps, thanks to Danny and Michael being over all day.

Total steps: 45,667

Daily average: 6523.9

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Book 21 (of 52) – Last Words

Last Words - George Carlin with Tony Hendra

Last Words – George Carlin with Tony Hendra

Begun in 1993, when George Carlin teamed up with Tony Hendra for the first time to chronicle his life story, Last Words was released in 2009, nearly a year and a half after Carlin’s 2008 death.  The autobiography covers nearly Carlin’s entire life, from the story of his conception to his plans for a Broadway show, plans which never happened due to his passing.

My first exposure to Carlin was as an actor, appearing as Rufus in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  I can only imagine that is what drew me to his HBO comedy special, Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics, 2 years later.  From that point on, I was a fan.

I had gotten this book as a gift a few years back, and it literally sat in a closet until a few weeks back, when I decided it was time to finally dig into it.  It covered a lot of familiar territory, but also gave new insight into some of it, explaining why my mom would have been concerned about me listening, in 1990, to the same comic my dad listened to in the early 1970s.  When Carlin passed, he was recognized as one of the finest comic voices of his, or any other, generation.  This book reminds you that this was not always the case.

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2015 New Fall Season – Sundays

old-tv-set1We finish up our yearly look at the new fall lineups with the Sunday night offerings, which features some returning favorites, but nothing new to watch, except on cable.

7:00

Once Upon A Time – The fairy tale show is back for season 5, after an uptick in quality during the past season.  With little else in competition, I see no reason not to continue turning in.

7:30

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – FOX’s comedy hit returns for its 3rd season amid little like-minded competition.

8:00

The Good Wife – After a so-so season that saw Alicia running for states attorney and mostly separated from the rest of the cast, the 7th season finds Julianna Marguiles surrounding herself with a whole new crew.

The Leftovers – After burning through the original source material in season 1, Damon Lindelof and crew have a whole new location for season 2, as the survivors move on to a town where nobody departed.

Homeland – The fifth season starts with Carrie Mathison having left the CIA behind, but I’m sure she will be pulled back in to the fold relatively quickly.  Last season proved the show could continue without Damian Lewis on board as Brody, but I think they’ll want Claire Danes back in the middle of things sooner rather than later. Continue reading →

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#134 – Josh Fields

Name: Josh Fields

Rank: 134

Position: 3B

Years With White Sox: 2006-2009

Josh Fields joined the White Sox organization as their first round pick in the 2004 draft.  He made his major league debut on September 13, 2006 as a defensive replacement in the White Sox 9-0 victory over the Angels.  6 days later, Fields became the third White Sox player, following Carlos Lee and Miguel Olivo, to homer in their first major league at bat.

Fields entered the 2007 season rated as the second-best prospect in the White Sox organization, and got his first chance at extended playing time in the major leagues when Joe Crede went down with a season-ending back injury.  Fields appeared to be one of the bright spots on that miserable team, finishing the year with a .244 average and 24 home runs in only 100 games, good enough for one third place Rookie of the Year vote.

With a healthy Crede back in the fold for 2008, Fields returned to Triple A, where he had a disappointing, injury-marred season.

Fields became the starting third baseman in 2009, with Joe Crede moving on to the Twins.  Fields appeared in 79 games, but struggled to hit with consistency and was eventually replaced by rookie Gordon Beckham.  The highlight of his season came on July 23, when he hit a grand slam and recorded the final putout in Mark Buerhle’s perfect game against the Rays.

Following the season, Fields, along with Chris Getz, was traded to the Royals for Mark Teahen.

Fields’ numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:

Continue reading →

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2015 New Fall Season – Fridays

old-tv-set1Our penultimate look at the new fall season gives us Friday’s amazing slate of shows.

7:30

Dr. Ken – Ken Jeong goes out on his own in this new comedy that plays off his time as a doctor.

8:00

Hawaii Five-0 – A sixth season of the show that doesn’t really impress, but doesn’t really disappoint.

9:00

Blue Bloods – The first family of the NYPD returns for a sixth season.

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2015 New Fall Season – Thursdays

old-tv-set1Thursday night is traditionally the busiest night of the week for my television viewing habits. Here’s what’s on the slate for this season.

7:00

Grey’s Anatomy – The medical drama enters its 12th season after a dark 11th season which killed off Patrick Dempsey’s Dr. McDreamy.  The show promises a brighter season, so we’ll see what happens.

The Big Bang Theory – The show returns to Thursdays in early November, following the midpoint of the NFL season.

Bones – The show returns for its 11th season.  Beyond that, there’s not much to say about the show that hasn’t already been said.

Heroes Reborn – NBC’s rebooted Heroes show, originally announced 18 months ago, finally makes it to air.  I will give this a shot, but I fear it will have a very short leash, given how poorly the original series ended up.

7:30

Life In Pieces – Assuming I’m still watching this come November, it moves from Monday along with BBT.

8:00

The Blacklist – James Spader returns for a third season of chewing the scenery.

Sleepy Hollow – I dropped this midway through the past season when I realized that I was never actually watching the show and instead just playing it in the background while doing other things.  I doubt I’ll be going back, considering I still don’t know any characters name beyond Ichabod Crane.

9:00

Elementary – Sherlock and Watson return for a fourth season of helping the NYPD solve their cases, this time with John Noble as Sherlock’s father. Continue reading →

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2015 New Fall Season – Wednesdays

old-tv-set1We have reached the half way point of our look at the offerings for the new fall season.  Here’s what Wednesdays have on tap for the fall.

7:00

Arrow – After a dark third season, Arrow returns for more angtsy fun.  The plan seems to be to bring Oliver Queen more in line with his comic book persona, so the tone may lighten up a little.

8:00

Modern Family – The comedy, entering its seventh season, is really starting to show its age.  It’s still fun, but the plots are starting to get a little out there.  Maybe sending Ariel Winter off to college will breathe some new life into the show.

Criminal Minds – The show returns for its eleventh season minus Jennifer Love Hewitt and, for a bit, AJ Cook.  Aisha Tyler steps in for a recurring role, which should be fun, or at least what passes for fun on this show.

Supernatural – I fell completely off the Supernatural bandwagon last year, only seeing a few episodes, and I don’t think I’ll be jumping back in here for its 11th season.

8:30

Black-ish – A somewhat surprising hit last season, I’m looking forward to more of the same this year.

9:00

Continue reading →